Operating for the past 30 years, New Zealand’s 'iwi radio' stations broadcast a mixture of te reo Māori and English language programming throughout the country. The 21 stations that presently operate were established as a strategy to improve upon the severe decline in the indigenous language. As radio stations, each initiative also affords individual Māori groups some autonomy in the mediated protection and promotion of indigenous identity. Collectively represented by Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori, the iwi stations stand apart from the highly-consolidated mainstream commercial and public service sectors, but are now similarly confronted with the challenge of a rapidly changing media landscape. Utilising convergence as a prominent, albeit contentious, descriptor of media transformation, this article analyses the response of the iwi radio sector to convergence processes. Initiatives that include the integration of web and social media and the establishment of a networked switching platform to share iwi content highlight parallel opportunities and challenges for the iwi radio stations as they strive to become ‘more than radio’ on limited resourcing. This discussion highlights the experiences of radio practitioners tasked with the preservation and progress of indigenous voices in an era of convergence, providing further contextual insight into contemporary accounts of media transformation, radio and Māori media.

In August 2015, a New Zealand Government discussion paper entitled Exploring Digital Convergence was released with the stated aim of generating public debate regarding the implications of digital convergence and any prospective government response. At face value, this convergence discussion offered a vital opportunity for a review of New Zealand media and communications policy that follows international precedent. While it is readily accepted that established media structures are being confronted with growing uncertainty and the formation of new media practices invites a regulatory response, this paper is critical of the specific application of convergence in the reimagining of media policy. Despite popular currency, convergence remains a highly contentious subject in media scholarship, open to diverse interpretation. Using official government documents, public submissions and in-depth interviews with broadcast industry stakeholders, this article provides a critical examination of convergence discussion in New Zealand. Consequently, this paper argues that a convergence approach to media regulation is constrained by the assumptive logic and contested meaning of the concept and not conducive to establishing meaningful reform for New Zealand's unique media landscape.

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The recent implementation of two digital platforms by the New Zealand radio industry as a response to contemporary media transformation highlights the ongoing problem of anticipating radio futures. The Wireless has been established by New Zealand’s sole public service radio network and challenges many conventions commonly associated with the radio medium; text-based and video content is prioritized by project staff in the pursuit of a younger audience demographic. An alternative commercial platform, iHeartRadio, combines the collected web streams of participating radio broadcasters with customizable music playlists, legitimizing radio brands in a new media environment. Utilizing semi-structured interviews with radio professionals, in conjunction with an analysis of industry reporting and media coverage of recent radio developments, key findings indicate that the motivations for introducing The Wireless and iHeartRadio are strongly connected to the dynamics of the local industry, demonstrating the role of organizational influence in determining the shape and form of future radio development.

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